The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has stepped in to direct the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) to immediately complete the upload of applicant data and remedy faults plaguing the ongoing recruitment exercise across Nigeria’s paramilitary agencies.
The intervention follows mounting complaints from applicants who say they are unable to track their submissions or determine their status weeks after completing various stages of the recruitment process. Some applicants say their names are missing entirely; others complain that their dashboard shows agencies or job categories different from those for which they applied.
Background
CDCFIB, which oversees recruitment for agencies including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) and the Federal Fire Service (FFS), announced that its portal would open 14 July 2025. Just days after going online, the portal suffered heavy traffic and system breakdowns; it was suspended on 17 July and reopened 21 July after technical upgrades. According to reports, the portal crash stemmed from overload and weak system architecture.
The Minister’s directive
In a post on his official Facebook page, Dr Tunji-Ojo acknowledged the glitches and directed the Secretary of CDCFIB to ensure that all uploads of applicant information are concluded immediately so that the tracking system becomes fully operational. Some of the issues flagged include:
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Applicants trying to log into the portal only to have the website freeze or return error messages.
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Dashboards showing job categories or agencies that differ from those the applicant selected.
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Some states, local government areas or guarantor data reportedly missing from the portal, preventing certain applicants from completing their submission.
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High volume of traffic causing system instability and intermittent downtime.
Scale and impact
The recruitment drive reportedly drew about 1.9 million applicants across the four paramilitary services for roughly 30,000 vacancies. (The figure appears in media coverage and underscores the magnitude of the demand and pressure on the system.)
Applicants have taken to social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and forums to report their frustrations — one user with the handle “#msg_snr” posted a screenshot showing a mismatch between the selected agency (NIS) and the dashboard showing Fire Service. Another (#Prince3255) shared an error message screenshot while trying to access the portal.
Key implications of the glitches and associated delays:
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Transparency and accountability risk
When applicants can’t track their status, or when system glitches lead to mis-classification of applications, it raises questions about the fairness and integrity of the recruitment process. The Minister’s engagement shows the government is aware of the reputational and governance risks. -
Capacity & digitisation challenge
The crisis illustrates that while Nigeria is clearly advancing its digital recruitment efforts, system capacity (bandwidth, user-load handling, data upload architecture) remains a bottleneck. The portal’s crash under heavy traffic shows that digital transformation must be matched by infrastructure readiness. -
User experience and legitimacy
For candidates – many of whom may be first-time users of federal online processes – the frustrations erode confidence. Perceptions that “top officials, politicians and more have already shared the slots” – as one applicant commented – can further undermine trust. -
Operational consequences
Delays in data uploads and system faults may complicate subsequent phases (short-listing, physical screening, verification). Missing or mis-entered data could produce operational drift or selective attrition. For CDCFIB, the directive suggests close monitoring of the recruitment value-chain, from application to clearance.
What the CDCFIB Could Do
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Publish real-time status dashboards or frequent updates on the progress of the uploads and screening phases.
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Offer clear cut-off timelines for each stage and communicate them transparently — so applicants know when they are stuck because of system delay, not omission.
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Ensure data integrity audits are performed: for example, verifying that applied agency, job category, state/LGA of origin and guarantor details are correctly recorded and visible to the applicant.
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Strengthen system resilience (server capacity, load-balancing, secure login architecture) ahead of future mass-recruitment campaigns, given high volume of traffic.
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Use the glitch incident as a case study for digital tool maturity in the public sector — learning from this and applying to other online exercises (exams, scholarships, civil service recruitment).
